Product Line Extension Gone Too Far

Here's what happens when you milk a successful product line one time too many. Plus the packaging is bad because it doesn't tell you if the force is the light or dark side. It's surely a choking hazzard.

Yes, I know these aren't real products, but they're still funny.

Microsoft's Vision Of 2019

Some interesting ideas in this footage from Microsoft with their vision of what to expect by 2019. 10 years doesn't seem too far away and this is a lot to break off, especially considering they still have yet to make a good web browser.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a>

Toy Blocks that Think and Talk to Each Other

And you thought Legos were cool. This may inspire a whole new generation of toys, math aids, video games, presention tools and marketing campaigns.

Insane Pepsi Logo Research

When I worked at 3M doing marketing for Post-it Notes we spent over 1 year researching a design for a new Post-it Note brand mark. I thought that was pretty intense, but it ain't nothing compared to the planning that apparently went into the new Pepsi brand mark.

Below is video and some screen grabs from their brand planning document. Yes, they really did manage to weave in the earth's magnetic fields, nature's Golden Ratio (1.618033) and the expansion pace of the universe.

.....or you could just rip off Barack Obama's campaign logo.

In Advertising, Context Makes a Big Difference

Those of us in marketing know that despite our best efforts, outside forces can take a campaign off course. Here are some interesting examples of context affecting the message.

Men Vs. Women

Here's a snappy poster campaign that appeared only in men's bar restrooms. Very well done. Any ad that compels you to spend extra time at a urinal trying to figure it out and then snicker is a positive brand contact.

Black Light Tattoos

I'm not a fan of tattoos, but there's a new breed of black light tattoos that are.....well.....what's the word? Interesting? A handful of cutting-edge tattoo artists invented the technique and it's quickly growing virally.

With this, you'll look really cool at the club or riding the Snow White ride at Disneyland.

This concept might make interesting street campaigns where billboards and posters contain "secret" messages painted in black light ink.